Forsaken Innocence
by Souhi's Wrath
Summary: It all began with Lavi's crazy idea. To create a band and go out with a bang their last year at Rose Cross Academy. But how far will the band go and what dark secrets will be dug up along the way? Rated M for language to be safe.
1. Chapter 1: Look Alive, Sunshine

The lights were low on the stage, but the curtains weren't down. The crowd was loud and noisy but yet still had a hushed air about it, like the calm before a storm. The sense of anticipation was so thick you could practically taste it in the hot air.

Hundreds of bodies were pressed together in the crowded theater, all for the same reason.

There were figures moving across the stage and through the equipment, though it was too dark for the audience to see who it was. Every time someone stepped up to one of the microphones the audience seemed to catch its breath, only to release it in disappointment as each figure backed away and resumed his duties.

As the audience grew more and more impatient, a chant started up that quickly spread throughout the theater:

"Innocence! Innocence! Innocence!"

Minutes dragged by without any new movements on the stage, yet the chant continued to grow louder and louder as people continued to join in, clapping their hands and stomping their feet in time with the chant.

"Innocence! Innocence! Innocence!"

Suddenly, a spotlight flashed on and centered itself on the empty microphone to the left of the stage. The chant faltered and was quickly replaced by cheers and screams of joy as a young man walked calmly up to the illuminated mic.

By the looks of him, he was probably somewhere around 18, but his air of focused confidence as he strode across the stage made him seem infinitely older. The man strode across to a guitar stand and slung the strap to a black guitar over his shoulder. He pulled his long black hair tied up in a ponytail out of the strap and walked over to the mic.

"I LOVE YOU KANDA!" an excited squeal broke through the cheers and was echoed by many other cheers.

Kanda smirked and leaned down, gripping the microphone in front of him. He gazed over the mic, scanning the crowd, as he began to speak in a low voice.

_Look alive, Sunshine  
>109 in the sky but the pigs won't quit<br>You're here with me: Dr. Death Defying  
>I'll be your surgeon, your proctor, your helicopter<br>Pumpin' out the slaughtermatic sounds to keep you alive  
>A system failure for the masses, anti-matter for the master plan<br>Louder than God's revolver and twice as shiny  
><em>

As he continued to speak over the growing cheers, spotlights flashed onto the two other microphones on the stage: one in the center and one on the right. Another spotlight flashed onto a platform where a set of drums and a large, African American man sat, twirling his drumsticks.

_This one's for all of you rock'n'rollers  
>All you crash queens and motor babies<br>_

Now two other young men slowly made their way on stage. The shorter of the two made his way to the center microphone, pushing his white hair back over the scar on his left eye. The other man picked up a white and black bass guitar before heading over to the other mic, his red hair standing out against the black of his thick headband and eye patch. As Kanda continued to speak, he began to play on his guitar.

_Listen up!  
>The future is bulletproof!<br>The aftermath is secondary!  
>It's time to do it now and do it loud!<br>Killjoys, make some noise!_

Now the drums and bass joined in as the white-haired boy in the center began to sing.

_Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na  
>Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na<br>Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na  
>Na, na, na, na, na<em>

Drugs, gimme drugs, gimme drugs, I don't need it  
>But I'll sell what you got, take the cash and I'll keep it<br>Eight legs to the wall, hit the gas, kill them all  
>And we crawl and we crawl and we crawl, you be my detonator<p>

Love, gimme love, gimme love, I don't need it  
>But I'll take what I want from your heart and I'll keep it<br>In a bag, in a box , put an X on the floor…

"Mister Bookman, sit up."

_Gimme more, gimme more, gimme more, shut up and sing it with me…_

"LAVI BOOKMAN STOP DROOLING AND PAY ATTENTION!"

Lavi was jolted awake as he was struck by a flying textbook. Falling sideways out of his chair, he rubbed his head and meekly looked up at the towering figure above him.

"Hn? You want an autograph too?" he mumbled sleepily.

Lavi's teacher glared down at him through his one eye, the other half of his face covered by a white mask.

"I would appreciate it if you would at least TRY to remain awake for my class, instead of blatantly using your textbook as a pillow. Now get up, sit down, and give me back my book."

Lavi remained silent and did as he was told, knowing that any backtalk at this proximity would leave him with more than one textbook to the head. Lavi took his seat at his desk as Mr. Cross strode back to the front of the classroom, restarting his lecture. Out of the corner of his eye Lavi caught his friend Allen smirking at him and he resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at the white-haired student. Lavi ran his hand through his red hair as he pulled out his notebook and a pen.

_I might as well do something useful while I'm here,_ he thought as he began to write down the lyrics to his newest song:

_Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na…_

* * *

><p>AN: hey everyone! so this is my first fic, obviously, and i really hope you enjoy. im new to uploading stuff, so please bear with me :) hopefully ill be able to finish the next chapter soon, but no promises on when itll be done. thanks everyone! review please? the song is Na Na NA (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) by My Chemical Romance


	2. Chapter 2: The Catalyst

**Chapter 2: The Catalyst  
><strong>

"Allennnnnnn!" Allen Walker heard his voice being sung across the cafeteria and knew it could only be one person.

"Hi, Lavi," Allen yawned. "What homework do you need now?"

Lavi sat down at the table across from Allen and pouted. "You're so mean to me! You still think of me as some sort of common, ordinary mooch after all these years?"

"Nearly four years isn't that long, Lavi. And you're far from an ordinary mooch; you are the very definition of the word."

Lavi waved the comment aside and stood up. "Come with me to buy my lunch?"

"But I already got mine!" Allen whined.

"So?"

Allen deliberated for a minute as Lavi continued to stand expectantly at the end of the table. "Fine," he sighed. "But only if you buy me a piece of cake."

"What? Why? You already have two whole trays of food!"

"But I _don't_ have any cake. Either I get the cake or I'm staying here."

"Ugh, _fine. _Fatty."

Allen stood up and playfully pushed Lavi as they made their way up to the food.

By the time Allen and Lavi returned with their food, two more people had sat down at the table. Next to Lavi's spot sat a young, asain man with long, jet black hair that fell down his back in a graceful low ponytail. Next to Allen's seat and across from the black-haired boy sat an man that looked at least three years older than either Allen or Lavi. He wore headphones on his ears and his tan head was shaved except for one patch on the top of his head, which had been corn-rowed and tied into a neat little bun.

As Allen and Lavi approached, he turned to face them and grinned, squinting his colorless, blind eyes. Allen smiled back and sat down.

"Hey, Marie."

"Hello, Allen," Marie answered as he turned to his own lunch. "I see you got cake."

"Yeah, that was the deal. If I went up to get Lavi's lunch with him I would get cake. How did you know it was cake?"

Marie chuckled, "I heard Lavi complaining about the price and how fat you are on your way over here."

"Oh," Allen said, slightly disappointed.

The group sat in silence for a few minutes as everyone dug into their food, absorbed in fitting as much into their mouths as humanly possible.

Allen was just finishing off his first tray of food when Lavi spoke up.

"I still think we should do it," he announced.

"No," the black haired boy answered right away.

"Aw, come on, Yu! It could be great!"

"My name," he hissed, "is Kanda. And I cannot and will not be a part of another one of your insane schemes."

"But this one isn't insane!"

"It's not happening. Let it go."

"I will _not_ let it go!" Lavi slammed his had down on the table and locked eyes with Kanda. "It's our senior year of high school. After this, we'll all be going our own separate ways and who _knows_ what will happen then? I want to do something memorable for our last year. Go out with a bang, you know? I just can't keep doing the same thing over and over again. I don't expect it to be a big hit with everyone or anything, but I want to be able to look back at this and say that at least I did something different for a change. And who knows? It could turn out to be a lot of fun."

Kanda said nothing, but continued to hold eye contact with Lavi. Marie cleared his throat after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"Um," he began, "which idea are we talking about again?"

"His hair-brained idea that we should make a band and sing songs and shit," Kanda snapped, turning his eyes away from Lavi to glare at Marie.

"And why is that such a bad idea?" Lavi demanded.

"Because! Who the hell would want to listen to a bunch of misfits like us? Who would want to go see us? Can any of us even_ sing_?" Kanda hissed.

"I can," Allen interjected and all three heads turned to stare at him. "Sing…I mean. I can sing."

"See? And so can I," Lavi quickly added. "So why not? It doesn't matter if no one wants to specifically come and see us play."

"And play what? Exactly _what_ would we play, Lavi? Would we cover other artists and songs like every other half-assed band in this town?"

"No. We would sing our own music."

"But, Lavi," Allen said, "we don't _have_ any of our own music."

"I've already written some stuff. And I think with some help, I could easily write more," Lavi said confidently.

Before anyone else could say anything, Kanda snapped. He slammed both of his hands down onto the table and stood up. Grabbing his black backpack, he snatched up the remainder of his lunch and stalked out of the lunchroom, glaring at teachers along the way.

Lavi frowned before turning to Allen and Marie. "Well, what do you guys think?"

"I don't know, Lavi…would we even be able to fit it into our schedules?" Allen asked.

"We'd make it work."

After a pause, Marie spoke up.

"I think it's a good idea," he said. "I'm in."

Allen sighed, "I'm in too."

"Okay!" Lavi grinned cheerfully. "Well then now we have drums," he pointed at Marie, "and a lead singer," he pointed to Allen. "I'll be the bassist and backup singer. Now all that's left is to convince Yu to be our guitarist."

"Why bother?" Allen asked, starting on his second tray. "He obviously doesn't want to. I bet he isn't all that good anyway."

"Bzzt! Wrong! Yu is the best guitarist I know! He's a natural. And besides, even if he wasn't, he's still our friend and I'd want him in the band anyway."

Allen shrugged. "Well, good luck convincing him then."

Lavi chuckled and took a swig of his water. "Thanks, but I don't need luck. I know he'll join."

* * *

><p>Kanda was pissed off. No, scratch that, <em>severely<em> pissed off. He had work to do and Lavi just _had _to keep bringing up the damn band idea.

Kanda stalked down the hallway and outside, down Rose Cross Academy's front steps. At the bottom of the steps he turned and strode across the lawn to take a seat beneath a tree. It wasn't the most comfortable of seats, but it was in the shade and away from Lavi, so it suited Kanda just fine.

Kanda slung his book bag off his shoulder and took a bite of his sandwich, scanning the school grounds.

Rose Cross Academy was a quiet private school that had its own, distinct campus. A main road ran past the campus and into the nearby city, but the road itself was half a mile away from any of the school buildings. Between the road and the school itself was a flat plain of grass with trees spotting the landscape here and there. Nearer to the school there were more trees and even some benches. Students sometimes spent their open periods outside on these benches, enjoying the weather.

Or, if you were Kanda, you spent your time outside alone under a tree, avoiding annoying people.

As of right now, the only other people outside were a couple on a bench, making out. Kanda rolled his eyes. Did they really have to be _that_ obnoxious with their relationship? Luckily for him, though, he was far enough away that they wouldn't annoy him while he worked.

Even though he was in the shade, it was still hot outside, and Kanda rolled up the sleeves of his collared, school uniform shirt before grabbing a textbook and notebook out of his bag along with a pencil. He quickly wrote down the first problem from his book and began the long process of solving the equation. His math homework had only been assigned one class period ago, but Kanda knew he needed to start on it now. He had history test coming up in a few days and he knew from experience that he would need all the time he could get tonight to study for it.

He munched on his sandwich as he slowly progressed through the math problems laid out in front of him. If only his problem with Lavi was as easy to solve as some of these math problems were. Kanda had thought that Lavi would just drop the whole band idea after a bit like he did with half of his other insane ideas, but Lavi was _refusing_ to let this go for some reason. Kanda understood wanting to do something memorable for their senior year but a _band_? Did Lavi _want_ to make them all social outcasts? Kanda wasn't particularly well liked within the school to start with (which may have had something to do with his short temper and reluctance to talk to people) and he was perfectly fine with how things were. He didn't want to remember his last year of high school as the year everyone hated him.

Kanda didn't much fancy the idea of getting up in front of crowds of people and performing either. He hated the attention. And even if he _did_ do the band for some reason, he didn't exactly have an abundance of time to go around practicing or playing shows. He had a _job_ for crying out loud, even if it only was part time. And on top of that, the only reason he was able to afford the academy was because he had gotten a scholarship. And said scholarship required that he keep his grades up, which meant more time studying. Even when he got his homework done in school, he still had a difficult time balancing his schoolwork and job.

He knew he could do the band if he really wanted to, but he wasn't sure that he really wanted to add that extra load on himself.

Kanda sighed as he finished the last of his math problems and put his books away. He ate the last of his sandwich and leaned back against the tree, legs stretched out in front of him. _Life is far too complicated_, he mused and closed his eyes. He was exhausted. Maybe he could catch a quick nap before—the school bell rang just as he had the thought to sleep. Kanda groaned and pulled himself up off the ground, brushing off his pants. So much for sleeping; but maybe he could get away with ignoring Lavi and his idea. He swung his book bag up off the ground and onto his shoulder as he started back into the main school building.

He groaned again when he realized his next class was history, with Lavi.

So much for ignoring _that_ problem for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>Kanda sighed as he stepped off of the bus and onto the city sidewalk. Today had been a long day. Even though Lavi had (quite suspiciously) let the band idea drop, Kanda had barely made it through the rest of the day. The teachers had just kept piling on the work, and though he had been sorely tempted to get some much needed sleep in his history class, he had forced himself to stay awake, if only to make tonight's studying easier.<p>

Now, all he wanted to do was go home and sleep.

As he wove in between people, he shifted his bag off of one of his shoulders and closer to his body. He was starting to enter a shady neighborhood, and he had no intention of getting pick pocketed.

Soon, the number of people on the street had dwindled down to only a few groups of shady characters in passing alleys. Kanda hated where he lived, but honestly, he was lucky to have the home he had. At least he had a roof over his head and food to eat.

Once as he was walking, a group of men in an alley had started towards him, but they had quickly backed off when Kanda had glowered at them. He had been living in the same apartment for around two years now, and in that time he had been jumped by nearly every group of lowlifes in the area.

Needless to say, he had beaten the shit out of them and had sent them back to give their criminal friends a message: do _not_ fuck with Yu Kanda.

He passed an abandoned playground and made his way yup to a tall, dirty brick building. The bottom two floors were caged in and Kanda saw no light through the curtains as he pulled out his keys. Three different keys and locks later, he stepped into his apartment building and shut the door, locking all of the bolts behind him.

Finally inside, he lit himself relax. His backpack dropped from his shoulder and he just barely caught it by the strap before it hit the ground. His shoulders slumped and he gripped the railing as he began to ascend the stairs to his apartment.

After half trudging, half dragging himself up two flights of stairs, Kanda unlocked one last deadbolt and let himself into the apartment.

The apartment itself was rather small. A tiny kitchen sported the stove, sink, refrigerator, and about three solid feet of counter space. In the middle of the kitchen was a small, round table with a few beaten up chairs. Directly across from the kitchen was a tiny family room with an old couch, a TV, and a water-stained coffee table.

Kanda longed to walk down the hallway in between the kitchen and the family room, go to his room, and sleep the night away. But, of course, that wasn't an option. He had studying to do first. He sank down onto a chair and dragged his bag onto the kitchen table. He knew if he tried to study anywhere else he would surely fall asleep within ten minutes and then nothing would get done.

He stifled a yawn and pulled out his biology textbook. As he began to skim over the chapter, his mind started to wander back to the band.

It bothered him that Lavi hadn't brought up the issue at all during their history class, and hadn't mentioned it throughout the rest of the day. Kanda highly doubted that Lavi had actually let the idea go. That just wasn't Lavi. No…knowing him, Lavi had already come up with some sort of elaborate blackmailing scheme to force Kanda to join the band.

Kanda snorted. Yeah, like _that_ would ever work. Lavi had nothing to blackmail with.

Kanda flipped his textbook shut and pushed it to the side, pulling out his notebook. He scanned through the pages until he found the notes for the chapter he needed. Pushing the thoughts of the band aside, he focused instead on the page in front of him.

He had barely made it past plant cell anatomy before he heard someone unlocking the door.

Kanda didn't even bother to look up as he heard the door open and then close. After the locks had been clicked back into place, a figure made its way into the kitchen.

Kanda raised his eyes to the tall, black-haired man in front of him.

"You're back early," he noted.

The man shrugged and dropped into the seat across from Kanda. He ran his fingers through his short hair as he leaned back in his seat.

"Yeah, we closed up early. Something about 'working too hard with cars instead of women,'" he snorted.

"The boss is right though. I mean, you _are_ getting pretty old. You should find a girlfriend."

Red eyes narrowed and glared at Kanda.

"Twenty-four is _not_ old. And you have no room to talk about girlfriends."

"Mhm. Whatever. You just keep telling yourself that, Kurogane."

Kanda winced in pain as Kurogane kicked him from under the table. As he leaned down to massage his sore shin, Kurogane pulled himself to his feet.

"Cup ramen okay for dinner?"

"Always," Kanda answered, turning back to his notes.

Out of the corner of his eye Kanda could see Kurogane prepare the cups and put them into the microwave. As the cups began to slowly rotate in the microwave, Kurogane pulled out his cell phone. Kanda continued to focus on his notes, even as the delicious aroma from the microwave made his mouth water.

Kanda knew that Kurogane felt bad for only being able to provide cheap meals for the two of them, which was bullshit, in Kanda's opinion. Kanda would have been living out on the streets a long time ago if it hadn't been for Kurogane and his family. They had taken Kanda in without a second thought and Kurogane had treated him like a long-lost brother ever since. Even when his parents had relocated two years ago due to his father's job, Kurogane had offered to let Kanda stay with him. That way, Kanda didn't have to change high schools or find a new job. And even though it made Kurogane's life harder, he had practically forced Kanda to take him up on the offer.

"So," Kurogane began, breaking Kanda's train of thought. "What's this I hear about you joining a band?"

"What?" Kanda whipped his head around to stare at Kurogane, who was holding up his phone.

"Lavi sent me a message. He said that he's putting together a band with you and some of your other friends."

"Why the hell does that damn rabbit have your number?"

Kurogane shrugged. "You've been friends with Lavi for years. Does it really surprise you that he somehow got a hold of my number?"

Kanda snorted. "I suppose not. Doesn't he have keys to this apartment too or something?"

"Nothing would surprise me with that kid anymore. I have no idea _how_ he would have gotten them though…." Kurogane sighed and pulled the cups out of the microwave as the timer went off. "But seriously, are you actually doing this band thing?"

"No, it's just some stupid idea-"

"Well, I think you should," Kurogane cut him off.

Kanda stared incredulously at Kurogane for a minute, unsure of whether or not he could believe his ears. Kurogane placed a cup down in front of Kanda and sat down.

"What's that look for?" he asked.

"What do you mean by 'I think you should'? It's just another one of Lavi's stupid ideas. I'm not doing it."

"I don't think it's a stupid idea," Kurogane sighed. "Kanda, all you do is work and school. I understand that you need to keep your grades up to keep your scholarship and to keep going to Rose Cross. And I understand that you feel the obligation to help pay for _those_ bills and for some of the food, but you _never_ do anything else. You never have any fun or go out. I mean, when I was seventeen I partied my fair share."

"Oh, I know. I had to cover for you a bunch of times, remember?"

Kurogane chuckled. "I only remember some of it. But that's what I'm talking about, Kanda. You're always so…serious. You never really seem to have any fun."

"I have plenty of fun," Kanda said defensively.

"You never smile, you don't have a girlfriend, and I can't even remember the last time I actually saw you laugh. So, I'm not entirely sure what your definition of 'fun' is here."

Kanda rolled his eyes but didn't answer.

Kurogane sighed again and leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples. "Kanda…I just don't see what the problem is with this band thing. And before you start yelling," He held up his hand to cut Kanda off, "just hear me out. Do the band thing. Just do it, and then see where it goes from there. If you truly hate it after a few months, then fine. Quit. But at least _try _it."

Kanda remained silent as he picked at his noodles. After a moment, he finally spoke.

"Tch. Fine. I'll do it. But I sure as hell won't enjoy it. And I have some conditions for that damn rabbit before I officially join."

A small smile tugged at Kurogane's lips and he leaned forward to eat his dinner. "Whatever. Just shut up and do it already."

"Yeah, yeah." Kanda yawned and retuned to his ramen as well. "And if Lavi turns up dead in a few days, you're my alibi."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "I'm _always_ your alibi."

Kanda smirked and they fell into an easy silence. He turned back to his notes and sighed. Lavi was sure to hear about this by tomorrow morning…at the latest.

Tomorrow was going to suck.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey guys! So I finally finished chapter two amidst the hours upon hours of homework and essays. Somehow I managed.

Some notes about the story:

1. No actual songs this chapter, but the title of the chapter comes from the song The Catalyst by Linkin Park. I thought the song title fit, and the lyrics kinda fit Kanda as well.

2. I'm a very uncreative person. I couldn't think of my own big brother figure for Kanda, so I borrowed Kurogane from Tsubasa: Resevior Chronicles. THIS IS NOT A CROSSOVER FIC. I've always had the nagging suspicion that Kurogane and Kanda are brothers from parallel dimensions...but that's just my theory. But Kuro-puu seemed to fit the role of big brother well so he's staying.

3. My inner Kanda is very sassy...and curses. A lot. We (inner Kanda and I) apologize if we offended anyone.

4. I'm posting my illustrations (some are for this story) on my DeviantArt account if anyone wants to check it out. the link is:

.com/

So...please leave a review? Thanks everyone!

EDIT: Thank you to my Anonymous reviewer for the pointer about Marie! (The D. Gray-Man Grey Ark character book isn't available in American bookstores and I was taking a shot in the dark at his ethnicity). Also, I knew Marie was way too old to be in high school, but I needed a character and he fit. Soooo I took a few liberties with his age ^^;


	3. Chapter 3: Let the Flames Begin

**Chapter 3: Let The Flames Begin**

Allen sat quietly in the courtyard, munching on his third breakfast sandwich. No one else was in the school; they never were this early in the morning. It was only ever Allen and his master. But Cross preferred to work alone in his room (and by work he meant slack off), so Allen was always alone in the mornings.

It wasn't all that bad though. The quiet was nice and it gave him some extra time to get work done. It did get rather lonely though…. Kanda and Marie always took the bus out of the city to school and Lavi mainly drove his grandfather's beaten-up old car in, so no one ever arrived early.

Allen sighed as he finished the last of his sandwich. He had half an hour to kill before anyone would even begin to arrive and no homework to do. He stood up, stretched, picked up his bag, and walked inside of the school. He needed to find _something_ to do.

His footsteps echoed in the empty hallways as he walked aimlessly through the school. He hated the school when it was empty. Only half of the lights were ever on and every shadow, every darkened classroom seemed to emit an ominous vibe.

Allen stopped in front of a darkened door. He looked left and right down the hallway, making sure no one was there. Not that anyone _would_ be. He slowly walked forward and opened the door. As he flipped on the light switch, he closed the door behind him.

Inside the room was a small set of plastic bleachers, a few scattered chairs, and a baby grand piano. Allen quietly walked over to the piano, pulled out the bench, and sat down. He set his bag down on the bench next to him and lifted the cover up off of the piano keys. He tentatively placed his hands over the crisp keys and lightly played a chord.

Allen smiled as the notes seemed to drift out from inside the piano. Though this room was rarely used outside of choir practice, the piano was always perfectly in tune. This was his favorite place in the school, especially when it was before or after school hours. While the rest of the school was eerie and almost suffocating before and after hours, the choir room always had a calm, peaceful air to it.

Allen tested out a few more chords, his fingers gliding across the keyboard.

Marie had taught Allen to play the piano. It had all started one day during his first year when Allen had been walking alone along the hallways after school. Allen had been certain that he and Cross were the only ones left in the school, and he had been surprised to find a light still on in a classroom. As he had drawn closer, a wonderful, soothing melody had floated out to him. Allen had quietly slipped into the room through the open door and surveyed his surroundings.

Marie had been seated at the piano while Kanda had been sprawled across the bleachers, his arm shielding his eyes. Allen had stood in the room, spellbound, until Marie had stopped playing and turned to him.

That was how Allen had made his first friend at Red Cross Academy, and they had bonded as Marie slowly taught Allen how to play.

Allen turned around and looked out the window, making sure he was alone. As soon as he was sure no cleaners were passing by, he turned back to the piano and began to play. He started slowly, pairing a simple melody from his right hand with a few chords from his left. Then he began to improvise as he played, only missing a few notes here and there, and the music quickly became more complicated. Allen easily lost himself in the music and continued to build on his improvisation.

He had no idea how long he had been sitting there, serenading the silence, before a knock at the door brought him crashing back down into reality. Allen jumped and spun around to see Lavi grinning and waving at the door window. Allen sighed, his heart rate slowing as Lavi let himself into the room.

"You scared the crap out of me," Allen grumbled and Lavi's grin broadened.

"I know! You should have seen your face, Allen! Priceless!" Lavi chuckled.

Allen glared at Lavi and slid the piano bench back. He grabbed his bag and stood up. As he made his way toward the door, he noticed that Lavi hadn't stopped smiling.

"Was my reaction _that_ funny?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Well, you're grinning like a huge buffoon." Allen opened the door and held it while Lavi stepped out of the choir room.

"Oh, Allen. Allen, Allen, Allen. Though your face never ceases to amuse me, that isn't what I'm smiling about right now. Oh, no. What I'm happy about is something _much_ bigger than your facial features. A truly momentous thing occurred yesterday, my dear friend. Something of huge and epic proportions. I'm just in such a state of shock that I can't stop smiling!" Lavi skipped down the hall as Allen shut the door.

Allen followed Lavi at a steady walk, expecting at any moment for his friend to suddenly spin around and reveal all. However, after a minute of waiting and walking, Allen gave in.

"Okay, so tell me! What is it that has you so happy?"

Lavi suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and spun around. Taking Allen by the shoulders and staring him straight in the eye he answered, "Yu agreed to join the band!"

Allen stood, dumbfounded, for a moment before he found his voice.

"What?"

"That's what I said at first, too! But he said he'd do it, and there's no way I'm letting him back out now!"

"But…how did this happen?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but it may have had something to do with the fact that I texted Kuro."

"You _texted_ his _brother_?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, that's the only person Kanda ever pays attention to, you know?" Lavi turned around and began walking away again, putting his hands in his pockets. "So it made sense to talk to him, right? He thought it was a good idea, too."

"Huh," Allen said. "You know, I don't think I've ever really officially_ met_ Kanda's brother. Like, I saw him once when my master had to drop off his car, but it was just a glance. What are you laughing at now?"

Lavi continued to chuckle, "You called him 'my master' again."

"Ahhhh," Allen groaned. "Damn it! I just can't shake the habit!"

"Well, that's what you get for being naïve, Beansprout!"

"My _name_ is _Allen_. And that wasn't me being naïve, Lavi, that was me being ten and in a new home. Freaking Cross took advantage of me…and not in that way!" Allen added quickly to Lavi's renewed laughter. "Pervert," he spat.

Lavi continued and wrapped one arm around Allen's shoulders. "Yeah, but you still love me."

Allen rolled his eyes and hid a smile, not saying anything. Lavi wrapped his other arm around Allen, causing both of them to stagger a little down the hallway. Allen finally gave in a joined in Lavi's laughter as they made their way through the deserted halls.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until lunch that Allen saw Kanda. The same as the day before, Allen and Lavi put their bags down before heading up to get their lunch, and when they returned, Kanda and Marie had taken their places next to Allen and Lavi's bags.<p>

"Quick! Allen, don't mention the band thing, okay?" Lavi said as they exited the line.

"Uh, okay, why?"

"Well, I may have been really enthusiastic about it today during our Literature class…."

"Lavi!"

"…and let's say that he wasn't too happy about that. And he _may _have spent the entire class kicking and punching me while the teacher wasn't looking. So…just don't mention it, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure," Allen rolled his eyes and sat down next to Marie.

Lavi placed his tray down ever so gently and eased onto the seat next to Kanda, careful not to agitate the already angry teen.

The four of them sat in an awkward silence until Marie broke the ice.

"So…I hear you agreed to join the band, Kanda," he said.

At this, Kanda slammed his sandwich down onto the table (as hard as it is physically possible to slam a sandwich) and grabbed a fistful of Lavi's shirt.

"What the fuck did I tell you last night? Well?" he snarled in Lavi's face.

"To…not tell anyone?" Lave said tentatively, trying to back away.

"And _what _did you go ahead and do?"

"Yu, I _had_ to tell them! They're in the band t—OOF!"

Lavi doubled over as Kanda's fist made contact with his stomach.

"I. Don't . Care. Just learn to keep your damn mouth shut and don't _ever_ call me that again," Kanda glared and turned back to his sandwich.

"Um…excuse me?"

All four boys froze as a female voice spoke from behind Kanda and Lavi. They turned to see a beautiful Asian girl with short, black hair.

"Um, I'm sorry to bother you all, but could I eat lunch here?" she asked.

Lavi was the first to respond. "But of course! How could we deny such a nice girl like you? Please, sit down!" he patted the seat next to him.

The girl smiled gratefully and sat down on the seat Lavi had indicated. "Thank you so much. I'm really sorry to intrude, but I didn't want to sit alone."

"It's perfectly fine," Marie smiled. "Why were you going to sit alone? You don't have any other friends in this lunch?"

"No. You see, my schedule got all switched around yesterday after I changed one of my classes. So the lunch period I'm normally in has already finished and all of my friends had that lunch."

"Are you a new student?" Lavi asked. "I don't remember seeing you before."

"Yes, I am. Oh! I'm so sorry, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Lenalee," the girl smiled.

"Well, nice to meet you Lenalee. I'm Allen Walker. Feel free to sit with us anytime you have this lunch," Allen offered his hand to Lenalee, who shook it.

"Aw, Allen, I was going to say that! Jerk. I'm Lavi, by the way," Lavi offered his hand to Lenalee as well, holding onto hers for a little longer than necessary.

"I'm Marie. Pleasure to meet you, Lenalee," he shook her hand as well. "And this is Kanda."

"Hello," Lenalee glanced around Lavi to wave at Kanda.

Kanda rolled his eyes and didn't respond.

"Aw, come on, Yu! Don't be so mean to our new friend!" Lavi said.

Before Lavi could react, Kanda punched him in the stomach.

"I thought I told you not. To. Call. Me. That." He snarled, carefully annunciating each word.

"Ah, I'm sorry you had to see that, Lenalee. Bakanda over there can be quite violent," Allen said.

"It's how he shows his affection," Marie chuckled and did not see the glare that Kanda threw his way.

"I hate all of you," Kanda snarled, returning to his sandwich.

Lavi coughed and slowly straightened in his seat, massaging his abused stomach. He stuck out his tongue at Kanda and turned back to Lenalee.

"So where did you go before Rose Cross Academy?" he asked.

"Well, I was home-schooled before this. My brother is very protective of me, and he was afraid of me being 'corrupted' in a school." She put air quotes around the word "corrupted."

"Overprotective, much? But what made him change his mind?"

"Oh, well I convinced him that I needed to go to an actual school and not be holed up for the rest of my life. I actually had to threaten to run away to get my brother to let me go to school, though."

"You threatened to run away?" Allen asked through a mouthful of food.

"Yeah, but I was never actually serious about it. It just takes extreme measures sometimes to get him to bend on some issues. We eventually reached an agreement, and that's why I'm here now." Lenalee took a bite of her pizza.

"And what agreement did you reach?" Marie asked.

"The agreement was I could go to school as long as my brother could work wherever I was."

"Your brother works here?"

"Yes, he's the principal."

All four boys at the table froze at that sentence. Lenalee continued to eat her lunch as all heads turned to her.

"Your _brother_ is the new principal?" Kanda demanded.

"Yup. It was the only free position available, and he somehow got the job. It was good, though, because this was the nicest school we visited," Lenalee answered.

"So, are we going to get expelled for 'corrupting' you?" Lavi teased.

Lenalee laughed. "I hope not! …Oh I was _kidding! _There's no way I would let him expel you guys!"

"Well, now I'm kind of scared of your brother," Allen said.

"Don't worry! I'm serious! You guys have all been very nice to me so you really have nothing to worry about."

"Except for Kanda, you mean." Allen muttered.

"One more word, Beansprout, and that fork will be through your hand," Kanda growled.

Just as Allen opened his mouth to retort, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

"Thank God," Lavi sighed. "I was afraid they were going to start another fight."

"Does that happen a lot?" Lenalee asked as Kanda stalked out of the lunchroom.

"You have no idea." Marie said, standing up and moving to throw away his trash.

Allen glared at Marie before turning to Lenalee. "Well, I'll see you guys later." He waved before walking out as well.

"Here, let me walk with you to class!" Lavi offered as he and Lenalee left the lunchroom.

* * *

><p>Allen was just about to doze off when something hit him in the back of the head. His eyes immediately snapped open and he sat up in his seat. His first thought was that his mast—<em>Cross <em>had hit him over the back of the head to wake him up. But Cross was still up at the front of the classroom, describing muscles of the upper back. Allen glanced around him, searching for the source of his wake-up call, when his eyes fell on Lavi.

A row over, Lavi was laughing silently and pointing to the ground at Allen's feet.

Allen glanced down and saw a crumpled up piece of paper net to his chair.

Once Cross had turned his back to the class, Allen quickly bent down and retrieved the paper. As Cross continued to talk, Allen slowly flattened out the paper and read Lavi's note:

"So I say that we have band practice this week. You in?"

Allen thought about it for a moment before writing his reply:

"Uh, sure. When?"

He looked up and waited for Cross to turn his back again before turning and pegging the note at Lavi, who caught the ball of paper easily and grinned at Allen while opening the note.

A few minutes later, the paper ball was thrown back at Allen, who unwound it to read:

"How about Saturday? Yu can't do Sunday. I just think we should start getting some practice time in."

Allen wrote:

"That's fine with me. Let's stop with this note, though. I feel like a 12-year-old girl and I think Cross is catching on."

After Cross had finally turned his back, Allen tossed the note over. Lavi read it and gave Allen a thumbs-up.

Allen sighed and sat back in his seat. After class was over he would talk more with Lavi, but until then he had to at least _look_ like he was paying attention. Not that he needed to. He had memorized the back muscles yesterday, just in case Cross decided to suddenly orally quiz Allen (again).

Allen looked at his watch. Five minutes to go. He wondered what they would do at practice. Would this band idea even work? He and Kanda loathed each other and fought every day. They could barely even eat lunch without fighting, so how were they supposed to play in a band together?

The bell rang and Allen stood up. He grabbed his bag and waked over to where Lavi was putting away his books.

"So, what time on Saturday?" Allen asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe in the morning? I think Kanda has work in the afternoon, and the Panda is having me manage the store at night. What do you think?"

"That's fine with me, I don't have anything to do," Allen shrugged.

Lavi threw his bag over his shoulder and led the way out of the classroom. Allen followed Lavi through the crowded hallways. They reached Lavi's locker and Allen waited as Lavi spun the dial on his lock.

"Lavi…is this band thing going to work?" Allen wondered aloud this time.

Lavi opened his locker and didn't answer for a minute.

"I don't really know. But, hey, we won't know 'til we try, right?" Lavi turned his eye to Allen.

"I guess so. But…I mean, Kanda and I _hate_ each other. Well, he hates everyone, you know? How is that going to work?"

"Kanda doesn't actually _hate_ many people. He just doesn't like to get close to anyone. He's like a clam." Lavi traded out books and closed his locker. "No, not a clam. Something more destructive that a clam. A porcupine. Kanda is a porcupine that stabs anyone who comes too close."

"The image of Kanda as a porcupine is…hilarious yet terrifying at the same time."

Lavi chuckled, "Yeah…yeah it is. So you're definitely all good for Saturday then?"

"I should be. What time and where?"

"Well we can practice at my place as long as we're not too loud. The old Panda will be working all day so he won't mind as long as we're not too noisy. And about time…how about 11-ish?"

"In the afternoon?"

"No. At night." Lavi rolled his eye at Allen.

"Oh, shut up." Allen grumbled and Lavi chuckled.

"Well, I'm off to class. I'm so looking forward to seeing you at _11_ in the _afternoon_." Lavi emphasized as he turned down a hallway without Allen. "And don't forget!"

"As if you would let me!" Allen called after Lavi and received a wave in return.

* * *

><p>Allen pushed open the glass door and inhaled the musty, homey smell of old books. He let the door swing shut behind him with a ring of the old bell as he stepped inside of the bookshop. He gazed around and his eyes alighted on a tuft of white hair bobbing up and down between stacks of books near the back of the store.<p>

"Hello, Bookman," Allen called out to the stacks.

A moment later, a short man appeared from behind the books. He was bald save for the ponytail of white hair on the top of his head and he had huge, dark bags under his wrinkled eyes.

"Oh, it's you. For a moment, I thought it was an actual customer," Bookman grumbled. "Junior is in the basement. The others have already arrived."

"Thank you."

Allen waved to Bookman and made his way to the door at the back of the shop. He pushed the door opened and stepped out of the shop and into a living room. Allen closed the door and proceeded to take off his shoes.

As he bent down, he took in his surroundings. Lavi's house hadn't changed in the three, almost four, years that Allen had known him. The living room still held all of the antique, delicate looking furniture it had the day Allen had first come over, and the cuckoo clock on the wall still ticked ominously. He hated that clock. It had an annoying habit of going off loudly whenever Allen least expected it and scaring him.

Allen placed his shoes next to the three other pairs near the door and made his way into the house. He entered the kitchen and saw Lavi standing in front of the refrigerator door.

"Hey, Lavi," Allen said.

Lavi looked up and grinned. "Allen! Everyone else is already downstairs. Do you want a drink?"

"Just water, please."

Lavi reached inside and pulled out water. Allen took it from him and Lavi pulled out a Coke and an iced tea as well. Closing the refrigerator door, Lavi lead the way to a door in the kitchen. Opening it, he led the way down the carpeted stairs. Allen stepped down behind Lavi and shut the door. He followed Lavi down the stairs and into an open basement.

Sitting around a large Ping-Pong table in the middle of the room were Marie and Kanda.

"Look who's here," Lavi smiled and placed the tea down in front of Kanda, keeping the Coke.

Looking up at Allen, Kanda rolled his eyes, "Wonderful."

Marie smiled. "Hello, Allen."

"Hey, Marie. Sorry I'm a little late." Allen apologized and pulled over a folding chair to sit at the table.

"Ah, it's no problem. We haven't even started talking yet." Lavi popped open his can of Coke and took a swig.

Lavi set his drink down and was quiet for a moment.

"Okay, so I guess I'll start us off," he began. "First of all, we're all in a band now! Yay!"

Silence.

"Uh, okay. Great enthusiasm, guys. Well, I was thinking last night and I think that the best way for us to start off is the pick a sort of genre we want to play and write for, and from there we could cover a few songs. That way we can sort of get a feel for everything before we write our own," Lavi said.

"I thought you said you had already written some songs?" Marie asked.

"Well, I have. But at this point, they're just ideas. If I'm lucky, I may have an idea for a tune, but I usually don't. So, I think if we find what music we like to play then that will make some of the writing easier."

"So what music will we play?" Allen asked.

"I was sort of thinking along the lines of rock stuff. Maybe some alternative rock…we will have to figure it out. No metal or anything, unless you want to scream your lungs out, Allen."

Allen shook his head. "No, thank you. But that sounds okay to me."

"Whatever," Kanda replied.

"That sounds great," Marie said.

"Okay, great! Wow, this has gone pretty smoothly so far. But we have one last thing for today. Let's pick two songs that we all agree to learn. When we come together in, oh, I don't know, a week or so, we can put it all together and see how it goes. So, does anyone have an idea for a song?" Lavi asked.

The basement was silent for a moment before Marie spoke.

"Why not 'Jumper' by Third Eye Blind? It's fairly simple and we should be able to put everything together relatively easily."

"That's good. And we could do 'Face Down' by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. That's a little more upbeat," Allen said.

"That's great! What do you think, Kanda?" Lavi asked.

"Whatever," Kanda grumbled.

"Alright then, it's settled. Next time we meet, I want to hear everyone's ideas for our band's super awesome name, okay?"

"That's it? That's the end of practice?" Allen asked.

"Yeah. For today, at least. Next time we meet, we will actually have stuff to work on. You're free to stay as long as you like, though," Lavi offered.

"Thanks, Lavi, but I have a ton of work to do at home. I'll see you all later then, okay?" Allen stood up from his chair.

"I should go too." Marie said, also standing up.

Kanda stood up as well and polished off the last of his iced tea.

"Aw, you guys suck. I'll walk you out." Lavi pouted and lead the way back upstairs.

Allen followed Lavi to the door where he reached down and picked up his shoes.

As Allen was putting them on, Lavi snapped his fingers and turned back to Kanda.

"I almost forgot! Did you want to see the guitar I was talking about?" he said. "If you like it you can just play with that one here and you won't have to worry about taking yours on the bus with you. Sorry, Marie, but I don't' have an extra drum set."

Marie chuckled. "That's fine, Lavi. I'll bring mine. It's not a problem."

"Great! Here, Kanda, the guitar is upstairs. I'll show you!"

By now, Allen had finished putting on his shoes.

"I'm going now, Lavi. See you on Monday!" he opened the door into the shop and waved.

"Bye, Allen!" Lavi called as he led Kanda toward the stairs.

* * *

><p>Lavi lead Kanda up the stairs and down the hallway. At the end, he turned and opened the door to his right, entering a book-filled bedroom.<p>

Lavi walked over to the guitar on top of his bedspread. He picked it up and handed it to Kanda.

"Here we go. What do you think?" he asked.

Kanda silently took the guitar and sat down on Lavi's bed. He ran his fingers of the worn wooden surface of the body and tested a few chords. He grimaced at the out-of-tune notes and placed the guitar down beside him.

"This should be fine. I'll tune it later. I have to go to work now." Kanda sighed and stood up.

"Wait! One more thing…." Lavi rifled through one of his drawers and Kanda groaned.

"Lavi, I _have _to go."

"I know, I know! Here, just take this with you."

Lavi turned around and held out a folded up piece of paper.

Kanda looked the paper over suspiciously, "What is that?"

"It's a song."

"Oh, for the love of—"

"Just listen, okay?" Lavi cut Kanda off. "Look, I know you're not thrilled about this band thing, but you can at least try it out! Here," he shoved the paper into Kanda's hand. "I wrote this song a while back. I've been trying and trying to find a tune that fits, but I just can't seem to get it. That's where I need your help. I've seen you play. I've heard you make up a tune out of the blue and just _play_ it on the guitar."

"But that's different than trying to fit it with words."

"I know it is, okay? Just…just look this over. If you can come up with something for it, then awesome. If you can't, well, whatever. All I'm asking is for you to _try_."

Kanda looked down at the song in his hand. "Why are you asking me? Why me and not the Beansprout, or Marie?"

Lavi turned away from Kanda and looked out his window at the street below. He stayed like that for a moment before answering.

"It's just…it was so hard just to _write_ it, you know? I didn't want other people to see it unless I could put music to it. And for some reason I just _can't_ find the tune. That's why I need your help. Otherwise, it's just going back into the drawer."

They stood there in silence for a while, neither looking at the other.

"Fine," Kanda said. "I'll see what I can do. I'm not promising anything, though."

"Thanks, Yu. And don't…don't judge me for my lyrics or anything, okay?" Lavi still wouldn't meet Kanda's eyes.

Kanda sighed and walked out of the room. "I think that's one of the dumbest things you've ever had to ask me to do."

Kanda walked down the hallway and stopped at the top of the stairs. Lavi hadn't followed. He paused for a minute, trying to figure out what to say. At last, he turned and called back to Lavi over his shoulder.

"I won't."

With this, he marched down the stairs and all the way out of the shop. It wasn't until he had reached the bus stop that he realized that Lavi's lyrics were still clutched in his hand.

Kanda didn't open the piece of paper until he was seated on the bus with no one next to him. He slowly unfolded the wrinkled piece of paper to reveal multiple cross outs and notes on the side of the page.

At the top of the page, though, two lines stood out form the others, untouched by corrections or notes:

_"Take everything from the inside and throw it all away_

_Because I swear, for the last time, I won't trust myself with you."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hey guys! Sorry this took so friggin long to get out...as you can see, I made this chapter way too long. WHAT WAS I THINKING THIS IS 10 PAGES SINGLE-SPACED WHYYYYYYY!

So anyway, this chapter has less overall angst to it (which is nice) and a fair amount of necessary fluff-stuff. I apologize for crack!Lavi in the beginning...I keep making him this insanely hyper child. I also threw a little bit of the "OHMYGODWHYMYSOUUULLLLLL" in at the end, for continuity.

So the songs mentioned in this one were (as you saw above) Jumper by Thrid Eye Blind, and Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. And (as you did not see mentioned above) From the Inside by Linkin Park. The chapter title is Let the Flames Begin by Paramore. Kind of fits, you know?

Just so you know, this story will have a mix of me crediting artists and the guys flat out stating that they're covering songs, and other songs that will be considered ones that they 'wrote'.

Shout out to my dear friend (you know who you are) who edits/corrects this story for me, and another shout out to my friend who just celebrated her birthday. This was supposed to be a birthday present...but we didn't get it up in time...oops. Well, you're getting it now, so enjoy!

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and if you could please leave a review I would really appreciate it! Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to the World

**Chapter 4: Welcome to the World**

Lenalee sighed as she checked the clock yet again. 11:28 and still no sign of her brother. She drummed her fingers on the table in impatience before grabbing her laptop and starting it up. Nothing like the Internet to cure boredom.

As soon as her computer turned on, Lenalee immediately opened Facebook and surveyed the site. She had barely been on the site a minute before a message popped up on her screen:

Hey Lenalee!

Lenalee smiled and quickly answered:

Hi Lo Fwa! How are you?

_Lo Fwa Zhao_: I'm okay…

I'm worried about that lab report.

_Lenalee Lee_: Are you kidding me? You always do great in school. You shouldn't

stress so much!

_Lo Fwa Zhao_: Haha...I can't help it though. Did you start it yet?

_Lenalee Lee_: Yeah. I finished it yesterday so that my brother didn't have an excuse to

keep me shut in at home.

_Lo Fwa Zhao_: Your brother scares me ^^;

(2 seconds later) But I didn't mean anything by that! He's a very nice person!

_Lenalee Lee_: Hahaha it's okay, I understand! Don't worry about it.

_Lo Fwa Zhao_: So what are you doing today if you're done all of your homework?

Want to come over? (after I finish my report of course)

_Lenalee Lee_: Thanks for the invite, but I actually already have plans! Lavi and Allen

are going to show me around the city, since I've been such a sheltered

child and all.

_Lo Fwa Zhao_: Aww! That's so nice of them! I'm a bit afraid of the city myself, but if

you have 2 guys with you, you should be fine. Sounds fun, though!

_Lenalee Lee_: I hope it will be! And yeah, after all the scary stories Komui keeps

feeding me, I'm still a little afraid of the city. I was happy when Lavi

offered for them to show me around.

_Lo Fwa Zhao_: Ohh! How sweet of them!

…or was it just sweet of HIM?

_Lenalee Lee_: What do you mean?

_Lo Fwa Zhao_: Uh, nothing! Really! Idk!

_Lenalee Lee_: Wait, do you think he likes me?!

_Lo Fwa Zhao_: I didn't say that!

I've got to go work! Have fun!

_Lenalee Lee_: Lo Fwa!

Don't you dare log off!

[Lo Fwa has logged off. Your message will be sent to her inbox]

YOU SUCK XP

Lenalee huffed and sat back angrily. She knew Lo Fwa hated conflicts, but seriously! What had she meant by that comment?

Did Lavi like her?

Lenalee felt little butterflies stir in her stomach at the thought.

_Speak of the devil_…Lenalee sat up as another message popped up onto the screen.

_Lavi Bookman_: Heyo! Did you talk to your bro yet?

_Lenalee Lee_: No…he hasn't come home yet. Ugh.

_Lavi Bookman_: :'(

Still think he'll let you come?

_Lenalee Lee_: Yeah. I think so. With my homework done he doesn't have a valid

reason to keep me here.

_Lavi Bookman_: Good! Cause today is going to be super fun…!

_Lenalee Lee_: I'm really looking forward to it! Hold on a second…my brother just got

back.

Lenalee quickly closed her computer and stood up as she heard the front door open and close. She bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet as she heard the lock on the front door click shut.

"Brother?" she called out.

Komui Lee came slowly trudging into the kitchen from the hallway. "Lenalee!" he seemed to perk up at the sight of his sister.

"Hi! How was work?"

Komui dropped heavily into a chair and flopped across the table. "Lenalee, it was horrible! They make me work so hard, even on weekends!"

"Brother, that's because you are the _new principal_! You have a lot to do and catch up with," Lenalee smiled.

"But Lenalee it's the weekend! They're going to work me to death at this rate!"

"You wanted the position, Komui. You were lucky to get the job as principal, so don't complain! Would you like some coffee?"

Komui picked his head up off of the table and gazed lovingly at her, "Yes, please. You know me far too well…this is why you can't leave! You can't go to college! A high school degree is all you really need, right?"

Lenalee walked over to the counter and put the coffee pot on. "Brother, we talked about this. I am going to college."

"Well, okay, but can you at least go to college here? You can commute!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Lenalee turned around and glared at her brother. "Komui, I am going away to college. I can't live with you for my entire life! I need to go out in the world and explore."

"But you _can_ live with me for your entire life! You can explore from here, that's what the Internet is for!"

"_Brother_."

Komui sighed and placed his head back down on the table, "I'm not giving up on this."

"And neither am I," Lenalee said.

They remained in a tense silence until the coffee was ready. Lenalee pulled down a mug and poured out a cup. She slowly walked over to the table and placed the mug down next to her brother's head. She steeled herself for the next part of the conversation as he picked up his head and took a sip.

"Brother, you know how I was saying before that it would be good if I explored the city a little? I don't know anything about…well, _anything_ here. We agreed that it's better that I am informed than ignorant, which could be dangerous, right?"

Komui sat up and placed his mug down on the table. "That topic is still up for debate as well."

Lenalee ignored the comment and continued, "Well, some of my friends offered to show me around some of the city today. They said they would show me some of the city and the areas to avoid. Is it okay if I go? Please, I think it would be much safer for me! Especially when you have meetings after school, I'll need to take the bus from the city, so I should try to be as safe as possible, right? And my friends have lived here forever so they know the city really well. Can I please go tonight?"

Komui took another sip of his coffee.

"Well," he began, "I suppose that would be a good idea…."

"Great! Thank you so much, Komui! I'm going to go get ready now!" Lenalee quickly grabbed her laptop and ran upstairs before Komui could change his mind.

She ran up the stairs and into her room and opened her laptop to her chat with Lavi.

_Lavi Bookman_: Good luck! Lemme know how it goes!

….Lenaleeeeee I'm boooooreddd

come baaaack

Lenalee quickly typed out her message:

_Lenalee Lee_: He said I could go! So when should I meet you?

_Lavi Bookman_: AWESOME! :D How about in like 45 minutes? That ok?

_Lenalee Lee_: Okay so I just checked the bus schedule and that should be

great! I may be there a tad late though…buses aren't always reliable haha

_Lavi Bookman_: Sounds good! Meet you at the bus stop on 4th?

_Lenalee Lee_: That would be perfect! Thank you so much!

_Lavi Bookman_: No prob! See you then! :)

Lenalee quickly closed out of Facebook and shut down her laptop. She stood up and stared at her blank laptop for a minute. Was Lavi actually flirting with her? She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. It was probably nothing, she was going with Lavi _and_ Allen, right? So it wasn't a date or anything. No, he was just being nice, that was all.

She glanced at her clock and mentally kicked herself. If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late!

She quickly threw on some nicer clothes and packed some money inside of her wallet. She grabbed a sweater and brushed through her hair before racing down the stairs.

Her brother, startled, looked up from his phone as she ran into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving to go meet my friends!" Lenalee stopped by her brother and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be back probably after dinner. Thanks, Komui!"

She hurried out into the hallway and out the door as Komui struggled for words. As she was closing the door, he finally seemed to regain control of his tongue.

"Be safe! Don't talk to any strange boys or-"

"Yes, I will! And I won't! Bye!"

Lenalee waved and shut the door behind her. She slung her purse over her shoulder, carrying her sweater in her arms, and made her way down the steps and onto the sidewalk. She felt a small pang of regret for the way she had just left her brother, but she knew this was a once in a lifetime chance to explore the city, and she had to capitalize.

She glanced around her, made sure that no one else was on the street, and did a little skip of excitement.

* * *

><p>Forty minutes later Lenalee stood up from her bus seat and stretched. She had gotten lucky and caught a bus as soon as she had arrived at the bus stop. The bus continued to rumble as she shuffled into the aisle and slowly made her way to the front of the bus behind a line of other people. She smiled at the bus driver and stepped off of the bus and onto the sidewalk. Spotting a nearby bench, she walked over and sat down.<p>

She put away her iPod and pulled out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts, looking for Lavi's name. After a moment she remembered that she had never gotten Lavi's number. She cursed internally and put her phone away. She should have gotten _someone's_ number! Now how was she supposed to find them? And she didn't even have any Internet access to try to let Lavi know through Facebook.

She sighed and pulled out her iPod again. Lavi knew where she was going to be, so all she could do was wait.

She turned her iPod on shuffle and relaxed back into the bench, letting her mind wander. She let her eyes wander, subconsciously on the lookout for any danger.

Even over her music, Lenalee heard them before she saw them.

"Allen, that is ridiculous. No normal, healthy person should be able to eat this much."

"What are you talking about? This isn't even that much food!"

"You ate before you left your house, you were eating pizza when I found you, and _now_ you're buying yourself more food!"

"It's two hotdogs, Lavi! It's not that big of a deal!"

"I swear you must have a tapeworm or something."

"That's disgusting. And stupid. Why would I even have a tapeworm?"

"Because you're a bottomless pit for food, that's why. Wait, I think that's her."

Lenalee put her music away and looked over as Allen and Lavi approached.

"Hey guys!" she said. "I was hoping you'd get here soon! I just realized that I don't have either of your numbers, and I had no idea where you were!"

"Wait, we seriously forgot to exchange numbers?" Lavi asked. "I'm sorry! Have you been waiting long?"

"No, not that long," Lenalee stood up as Allen and Lavi stopped in front of her.

"Well, here. Let's make sure that doesn't happen again!" Lavi handed her his phone. "Put your number in."

"Here, you put both of yours in too," Lenalee handed over her phone to the two boys.

She quickly added herself as a contact in Lavi's phone and waited for the two boys to finish with her phone. She handed Lavi's phone back to him as Allen handed hers back.

"I sent myself a text from your phone, so I have your number too," he said.

"That's great! Now I'll be able to contact both of you if this sort of thing happens again," Lenalee laughed a little and put her phone in her purse. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well, we were thinking we could show you around a bit. See the places to be, good places to eat, all that jazz," Lavi started. "And you said you wanted to know where the bad sides of town are, right? Don't tell me you're gonna try to be a hero and go looking for trouble."

"No, nothing of the sort! I promised my brother that I would get the information so that I could be safer around the city, especially since I don't plan on sticking to my 'safe' suburbs all the time. But what kind of trouble _is _there?"

"Here, let's start walking," Allen said, leading the way. Lavi fell in step next to him, with Lenalee trailing slightly behind the two of them. "The trouble here is mainly gangs. Or, really, one gang in particular. And believe me, you want to stay as clear of them as possible."

"There's a gang?"

"Yup. They call themselves the 'Akuma'. They're a violent bunch," Lavi answered. "They like to hang out around their territory in certain parts of the city. You should really steer clear of those areas unless it's, like, the middle of the day. It can get really dangerous."

"Dangerous how?"

"Shootings, stabbings, arson, murder, the whole nine yards. But this stuff is too serious! We want to show you the _awesome_ parts of the city."

"It's really not that awesome…" Allen added.

Lavi playfully punched Allen's arm. "Shut up! We're supposed to get her excited to live here,"

"But it really isn't that exciting…."

"Well, that's because you are boring. So you don't do anything exciting."

"What?! If I'm boring then you're twice as boring."

"Not true! I do tons of fun stuff!"

"Like what? You sit in that bookstore half of the time and just read."

"Reading is fun, my wormy friend. But I was talking about other things."

"For the last time, I do _not_ have a tapeworm! If you keep saying stupid stuff like that, people might take you seriously."

"But I am serious."

Lenalee quietly watched the exchange between Lavi and Allen. It had been forever ago that she had last hung out with friends normally like this, and she relished the experience. As Allen and Lavi continued to walk and talk, Lenalee looked around. The streets were relatively clean, the sidewalks were wide, and there was a steady stream of people heading in both directions. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually been in a city. They passed multiple storefronts, mainly cafés and restaurants, and she inhaled the different scents. Great…now she was hungry.

Lenalee was so busy taking in her surroundings that she nearly ran into Allen's back.

She quickly took a step backward and looked up at the café in front of them, Louie's.

"This is our favorite place to grab a bite to eat. It's usually pretty quiet, and we come here often enough that everyone knows us. You hungry at all?" Allen asked.

"I am, actually…I didn't even realize until we passed all of those restaurants." Lenalee admitted.

"Cool! We'll introduce you to the guys," Lavi walked over and held the door open. "After you."

"Thank you," Lenalee smiled and stepped into the little café.

Inside were a bunch of little tables and booths, where a few people were seated quietly, reading. Towards the back was a counter with stools and a cash register.

Allen led the way back to the counter and walked up to the cash register, where a nervous-looking woman stood.

"Hey, Miranda. How are you?"

The woman, who had been scrubbing the counter, jumped and looked up.

"Oh! Allen, you scared me. I'm okay, I suppose. How are you?"

"I'm doing well. This is our new friend, Lenalee Lee. Lenalee, this is Miranda Lotto. She's usually working here when we come in."

"Well, I need to work a lot because I keep breaking things…I have to pay for them somehow…." Miranda turned to Lenalee as she approached the counter. "Hello. It's always nice to meet Allen and Lavi's friends."

"Pleasure to meet you," Lenalee offered her hand.

Miranda stared at Lenalee's hand for a moment before slowly reaching out and taking it. Miranda's hand felt weak in Lenalee's grip, and they quickly let go.

Miranda quickly turned to Lavi, who stepped up next to Lenalee. "So, what brings you here?"

"We just stopped in to grab something to eat. We're showing Lenalee around the city," Lavi replied.

"Well, what would you like? I'll try to make it right…."

"I'll take a green tea," Lavi started, and motioned for Lenalee to place her order.

"Uh…" Lenalee quickly looked up at the chalkboard menu. "I'll have some mozzarella sticks, if that's okay?"

"I think I can do that…anything for you, Allen?" Miranda inquired as she began to fill up a cup for Lavi.

"I'll just take a bagel, thank you."

Lavi turned and muttered something under his breath.

Allen glared at him. "If that was a comment about my eating habits, then keep it to yourself and stop muttering."

Lavi stuck out his tongue at Allen as Miranda handed him his steaming cup. She quickly handed a box to Lenalee and a bagel in a bag to Allen as Lavi added sugar to his cup. Lavi placed the lid back on his cup and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He pulled out a ten and placed it on the counter.

"Keep the change, Miranda. We'll see you later! Try not to break anything while we're gone!" Lavi said, beginning to head towards the door.

"T-thank you! And I will try!" Miranda called, slowly picking up the bill. As she did, she bumped the plastic tip jar, knocking it off balance. Allen leaned forward and grabbed it before it fell. He waved off Miranda's hurried thanks as he replaced the jar on the counter.

Lenalee smiled at Miranda as she went to follow Lavi. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Miranda smiled a little, still eyeing the jar.

Allen waved and he and Lenalee followed Lavi out of the café.

As soon as the door had closed, Allen turned to Lenalee.

"Miranda is nice. She's incredibly clumsy, so she's had a hard time keeping jobs in the past. The owner likes her, though, so she works here even though she keeps breaking things and sometimes gets orders wrong. She's always working here and she's really shy, so it might take her a little while to warm up to you," he explained.

"Ah, okay. Well she definitely seemed nice," Lenalee opened her box and picked up a mozzarella stick. "And she got my order right."

"Always a plus," Lavi added, taking a sip of his tea. "Now let's keep going! We've got plenty to see. Where should we head next?"

"Why not the park?" Allen suggested.

"_Which_ park though?"

"How about Cooper? It's the usual place."

"Sounds good! That's also the closest one to here," Lavi started off, motioning for Lenalee and Allen to follow.

"How many parks are in the city?" Lenalee inquired, taking a bite out of one of her mozzarella sticks.

"I don't know…like 3? There are only about two big ones, then there's a few really small ones scattered here and there. Those can get a little shady sometimes, though. The bigger ones are Cooper, that's where we're headed, Possum Park, and Dogwood."

"Why are the smaller ones shady?"

"Well, they tend to either be in gang territory or they're frequented by dealers and such. Either way, you should probably try to steer clear of them."

"Probably a good idea. Is this it, here?" Lenalee gestured to an area of green that they were rapidly approaching.

"Yep, this is Cooper! It has more trees in the middle, and there's a playground if you follow the path. There's a little pond, too, and a bunch of benches and little sitting areas. In the spring and summer it's really nice to just find somewhere to sit and relax."

"Well, it's still warm out, so I'll have to try it sometime." Lenalee took in the healthy green grass as they walked towards trees.

"Here, we'll show you the pond. Oh, and don't feed the squirrels. They never forget who feeds them, and they'll never leave you alone again. Ever," Allen said, polishing off his bagel and crumpling up his bag. "Can we find a trash can? I don't want to carry this around."

"Yeah, sure. I'm just about done, too. Here, I think there's one right there," Lavi pointed off to their left.

Lenalee quickly stuffed her last mozzarella stick into her cheeks so that she could throw her box away.

"Lavi? Is that you?"

Lenalee, Allen, and Lavi all turned around to see a girl standing behind them.

"Oh, hey Annabelle! What are you doing here?" Lavi said with a surprised grin as he threw his cup away and stepped towards the girl.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" the girl held up her hand to stop Lavi, bracelets jingling.

Lavi sighed, "I didn't mean it _that way_. I was just really surprised to see you here, that's all. I didn't think you liked parks."

"Well, you're right, I don't. I'm just meeting Christie here. I thought you said you were busy."

"I am busy."

"This isn't _busy_, Lavi."

Lenalee briefly heard Allen mutter something under his breath before her attention was turned back to Lavi's conversation.

"Yes it is! Allen and I are showing Lenalee around!" Lavi gestured back to the two of them. "Annabelle, this is Lenalee. Leanalee, Annabelle."

"Oh, hi," Annabelle turned to Lenalee and held out her hand.

"Hi," Lenalee managed through her still-full cheeks.

She smiled, took Annabelle's hand and shook it. Annabelle squeezed tightly and then quickly let go, only briefly making eye contact with Lenalee before turning back to Lavi.

"Okay, but I need to talk to you about Homecoming," she began.

Lavi groaned loudly, "Oh, come on. Can we talk about this later? Homecoming is still, like, two months away."

"No, Lavi, we should have talked about this a month ago! You know I wanted to look for a dress last month and you still haven't told me if you can get the car because we're going to Katie _and _Maddie's parties, and we need to get there early to make sure everything is set up -"

"Yeah, Lavi you can continue your conversation. We'll just be walking over here," Allen interjected.

Lavi waved them on and Allen led Lenalee away from the escalating conversation. Lenalee swallowed the last of her mozzarella stick and glanced behind her before turning back to Allen.

"So, who's that?" she asked, pointing back at the brown-haired girl behind them.

"_That_," Allen sighed, "Is Annabelle. Lavi's _darling _girlfriend."

Lenalee chuckled at Allen's tone, "Well I can tell you two are best friends. Why so much passive-aggressive hate?"

"It's not so passive aggressive on her end. She's made it very clear that she's not fond of me in the slightest."

"Why?"

"Hmm…well we aren't totally certain, but I think she just really doesn't like my face."

Lenalee laughed a little before realizing that Allen wasn't laughing. "Wait, you're serious?! Why would she think that?"

"I think she's put off by the scar, really," Allen absentmindedly scratched at his scarred cheek. "I think it freaks her out. Here, let's sit."

Lenalee sat down on the bench next to Allen and took a good, hard look at his scar. "Why would it freak her out? That's just…horrible!"

Allen chuckled a little and leaned back on the bench, "Ah, you don't know. The upside down star – the pentagram – is the symbol of the Akuma. You know, the big gang we were talking about earlier."

"So… you were _in_ the gang?"

"What, was I an Akuma? Wha-NO! God, no!" Allen looked appalled. "I may have this scar, but I sure as hell didn't want it there. I can't stand the Akuma."

Lenalee was a little taken aback by Allen's reaction. "I'm sorry…. Does Annabelle know that? That you weren't in the gang or anything, I mean."

"I don't know, actually. She's never asked me at least. She has a tendency to just…assume things. That's partially why the two of them fight so much." Allen gestured over to where the two were still talking.

"Well, in that case I hope she didn't assume that I was part chipmunk or anything. I kind of had my cheeks full when we were shaking hands."

Allen laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?"

Allen and Lenalee looked up to see Lavi walking over to them.

"What's so funny?" he asked again.

"Nothing," Allen answered. "So are you finished with your lover's spat?"

"Oh, lay off. Can we go? We've got a few other places to show Lenalee, you know."

"Yeah, I know. You ready to go?"

"Yup!" Lenalee stood up and fixed her coat. "Where to next?"

"Well, what do you say we take her by the garage?" Lavi proposed.

"Where Kanda works?!" Allen asked.

"Well, yeah. What other garage do we know? Besides, he ditched on us today, so I say we go annoy him a bit."

Allen sighed. "That's fine with me, I guess. As long as _you _are the one bothering him this time. I'm not up for a fight with him today."

"Fine, you wuss." Lavi lightly punched Allen in the shoulder.

Lenalee followed them as Allen led the way.

"Kanda works at a garage a lot, so we'll go and bug him sometimes, or stop by and give him a lift . If your brother ever needs something fixed, or anything, that's the place he should go. Kanda's brother works there too," Lavi explained.

"Oh, cool."

"Yup. And then we'll probably show you the bookstore."

"Bookstore?"

"Yeah, my gramps owns it, and I work there part-time."

"Oh, that's cool!"

* * *

><p>It had taken them twenty minutes to get to the garage, and when they finally arrived, Kanda was <em>not <em>pleased. Lavi had strolled in to the garage, waved to some workers in jumpsuits, and proceeded to jump on Kanda's back.

Two employees had been forced to restrain Kanda from throwing a wrench at Lavi before a huge, tan man with black hair had emerged from an office and unceremoniously told them to "Get the fuck out".

So after Lavi and Allen had said hasty goodbyes to a few of the greasy employees (and Kanda), they had left and travelled to Lavi's grandfather's bookstore. They had entered the bookstore and shortly afterwards, Lenalee was introduced to Lavi's grandfather. After a few minutes of talking and looking around, Lenalee had looked down at her phone clock to realize that unless she left right at that moment, she was going to miss her bus.

She had said a rushed goodbye to Lavi's grandfather, and the three of them had practically sprinted up the street as fast as they could .

Lenalee panted as they _finally_ arrived at the bus stop. She pulled out her phone and looked at the time. Four minutes to spare.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, "Well, we made it in time!"

"Woohoo!" Lavi exclaimed halfheartedly, breathing heavily.

"Well, at least we made it. Otherwise we would've had to have figure out some other way to get you home at an appropriate time," Allen exhaled heavily.

"Well thank you guys so much for showing me around! I had a great time," Lenalee smiled.

"It was fun for us too!" Lavi smiled. "Oh shit, weren't we supposed to show you areas to avoid?"

Lenalee groaned, "Oh no, that was the whole reason he let me leave! Shit."

"Wait, wait, we can fix this…." Allen looked around, looking for something.

Lenalee watched as Allen stopped and then ran over to where the bus schedules were located. He pulled one out quickly and ran back to them.

"Here, they have a map of the bus routes on this. We can show you where to avoid using this. Do you have a pen?"

"I think so," Lenalee fumbled around in her purse for a few seconds. "Got one!"

"Okay, so you want to avoid here, here, and here," Allen said, marking the map. "Ark Avenue is their main base of operations, so avoid anywhere at least four blocks around that."

"And you should probably try to avoid the smaller parks, like we were saying before," Lavi added, pointing to the small green park areas on the map.

Lenalee glanced up as she heard the familiar rumble of the bus. "Alright guys, the bus is here. Thank you so much for helping me out today. I'll talk to you both later?"

"No problem, and yeah! Here you go," Allen said, handing the map and pen to Lenalee.

"Let's do this again sometime. Have a good ride!" Lavi waved as the bus pulled up.

Lenalee tucked the map under her arm, pulled out her wallet, and hopped onto the bus, waving back at Lavi and Allen before turning to the bus driver to pay.

* * *

><p>After Lenalee had left, Lavi and Allen had parted ways, each of them heading back to their own house. Lavi walked quietly, absorbed in his own thoughts. After finally reaching the bookstore, he walked through the storefront and into the house behind it. He slowly climbed the stairs, walked down to his room at the end of the hall, and collapsed on his bed. He let his eyes drift close and tried to relax.<p>

His moment of peace lasted a grand total of six seconds before he was too hot. He rolled over and pulled off his shoes. He relaxed again and stared at his ceiling. Who knew giving a tour could be so exhausting?

…Who was he kidding? It was the argument with Annabelle that had him exhausted.

He heard someone coming up the stairs and forgot his exhaustion for a moment in exchange for confusion. None of the grandpa's customers ever came into the house, and the steps were far too heavy to be the Panda. Who would be visiting?

His question was answered when Kanda appeared in the doorway. Lavi stared at him wordlessly until Kanda broke the silence.

"Hey," he began.

"Hi. What're you doing here? Did you get off of work early?" Lavi asked, looking at the time on his phone.

"Yeah. I had some time, so I figured I'd stop by."

Lavi sat up. "Well, you never just _stop by_, so what's up."

Kanda glared and him and then took a step into the room. "I looked over the lyrics you gave me."

Lavi sat up straighter. "…And?"

"And I might have come up with some sort of melody for it. Just for the chorus, at least."

"You did?" Lavi remained still as Kanda made his way over to Lavi's guitar.

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I don't know…I kind of half-expected you to just toss it, actually," Lavi confessed.

Kanda gave him an exasperated look and sat down next to Lavi on the bed. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and smoothed it out on his knee. He strummed a few chords on the guitar, seeming to gather up his courage before singing:

"Take everything from the inside and throw it all away

'Cause I swear for the last time I won't trust myself with you,"

He paused in his singing, still strumming on the guitar, "I wasn't really sure what to do at this part. I feel like there should be a different sort of feel for the verses. Like, with some singing, but maybe just some speaking too."

"Speaking?" Lavi repeated.

"Yeah…something like…I don't know…"

He started singing again:

"Tension is building inside steadily

Heavy thoughts forcing their way out of me,"

Then he started rhythmically speaking, still strumming:

"Trying not to break but I'm so tired of this deceit,

Every time I try to make myself get back up on my feet,

All I ever think about is this,

All the tiring time between

And how trying to put my trust in you just takes so much out of me."

Lavi watched as Kanda slowly brought his lyrics to life. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the music. All too soon, though, Kanda stopped. Lavi opened his one eye to look over at Kanda. Kanda shifted, looking uncomfortable.

"So, yeah. That's really all I have," he stood up suddenly and replaced Lavi's guitar on the stand. "It's shit, I know. I shouldn't even be doing this stupid band-"

"Yu?"

Kanda stopped at his given name and looked back at Lavi, who had shifted his gaze down to the floor, unable to meet his friend's eyes.

How was he supposed to phrase this? "Thanks for not being an asshole. Thanks for not showing everyone and throwing me under the bus. Thanks for not asking about the lyrics"? How do you say that to a guy like Kanda, without putting yourself completely out in the open?

Lavi opted for the simplest option.

"Just…thanks, okay?"

Kanda stood there for a moment before rolling his eyes.

"Idiot. For what?" He walked over and handed Lavi back his lyrics. "Fool around with the melody, if you want. It's yours, after all."

Lavi watched as Kanda walked out of the room and listened as Kanda's footsteps receded down the hall and stairs. He looked down at the wrinkled sheet of paper and, on a whim, flipped it over. On the back was impromptu sheet music, with notes written down. He recognized the melody from what Kanda had just played, and he smiled a bit, humming the tune.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey all! I'm so sorry this took forever to put up! I hit a writers block/school work block. That's where school screws over all those other things you like to do. Yeah. That. And then I took forever to edit and reread it. Plus it's a super-long chapter.

But it's finally out! Hooray! I really hope you guys enjoy it, and any comments and reviews are welcome!


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